Carolyn has come and gone, and with her she took her annoying lovable pug, Malia. My dog, Indie, is on the left and they don’t get along very well. Actually, to be fair it’s my dog’s fault; she’s awfully unsociable and generally dislikes all dogs, so I was surprised to see them sitting so close.

Carolyn, my sister, is letting her flat out during the Fringe festival, so she’s house hopping for the next month and will be through in Glasgow for a chunk of it. Everybody knows I like my own space (I’ve lived on my own for 7 years), so I find it really difficult having people in my home for lengthy periods of time. Further to that, we both work from home so have been in one another’s company allll day. Agh! Anyway, the nice thing about having my sister here is we can go for lunch and talk about business and I can take photos of her pretty face. So it ain’t all bad.

A girly day shopping in Glasgow with my sister, Carolyn. On my agenda was a new camera bag, more like a rucksack than the ‘off the shoulder’ one I currently have. However, the staff in Jessops jump all over you and it put me off buying anything if I’m honest. Wouldn’t it be great to have a camera shop managed by photographers, not salesmen?

The Hidden Lane Tearoom is true to its name, tucked away in a charismatic courtyard that you have to venture down a discreet alley off of Argyle Street to get to. I went with Shona, who was the perfect person to discover this gem with as she enjoys her vintage crockery, classic tea and so on. We went late afternoon when it wasn’t busy, which was good as this place is tiny. The food was good, chai tea was on the menu, and the general atmosphere of the place was… different, but definitely in a good way.

Baby shoes always look so cute, don’t you think? I just couldn’t stop myself from taking this photo as I walked down these stairs. The light hitting the staircase was too good to resist, and the shoes just laying there made me do those annoying, girly noises.

I hate to be the cliché that every British person is by bringing the weather into it, but seriously, we had Summer for a whole 4 consecutive days this year! We caught the last of it yesterday evening by taking my Mini to Arrochar, investigating an abandoned house, getting food posion (I don’t think James will be rushing back to McDonalds any time soon), and watching suicidal kayakers. It’s nights like these that make Summer special.

Once a year you can find the Merchant City music festival happening in, well, the Merchant City of Glasgow. Stalls with foods from all around the world, several stages with music and drama acts, but most importantly a crowd of adverse people good for photographing. The good looking guy riding the bike, the woman dressed as a fish, the cute kid skipping past the camera, the couple having a moment, the father and son walking home with a new video game, the recluse taking time out to listen to music in the last remaining spot of sunshine, blah blah.

My plans fell through last night fairly last minute. Not to worry, I thought, it’s Glasgow and there’s always something to do. Right enough I got a text from one of the guys I longboard with, reminding me his band is playing at the Merchant City Festival, and an hour later I was sitting in a beer garden with one of my oldest and best friends who is visiting from Brooklyn, New York, where she now lives. This was the view from the house party I ended up at.

Yesterday I had the honour of being a part of my friend’s wedding, Sheryl (I’m the girl in the kiwi dress with the silly face). I’ve known Sheryl since college, and she’s my first friend I’ve seen to walk down the aisle. Needless to say, it was an emotional day. Anyway, despite being a bridesmaid I had to take my camera and capture as much of the day as I could without distancing myself from being a part of it. I just wanted one shot of Sheryl and John that I would be happy with. I wish you guys all the best!

Here is my friend’s pug, Ella, floating in the air and stuff. I’ve photographed her before, both on this blog and on Flickr. My mum is looking after her for the next few days while my friend does that wee thing called getting married (I’m a bridesmaid).